Pay Equity for public librarians is a complex issue. Unlike other professions that have clear cut job descriptions and corresponding salaries, the definition of librarian varies from town to town in Massachusetts as wells as job responsibilities. It is difficult to create a formula that works in all salary situations.

In an effort to provide the most current and accurate salary information, the Personnel Issues Committee recommends the use of the following resources for help in negotiating salaries.

The first resource is the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) website http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/statistics/public/repsals/index.php.. Under the Advisory Services for Libraries, look at the Public library data and specifically the Library statistics. Salary data is listed both alphabetically and by population served. You can compare the salaries for libraries that have the same population as your town, neighboring communities and those libraries in your network.

The American Library Association has a committee that is dedicated to the advancement of library employees, both professional and paraprofessional. The website is http://ala-apa.org. You will find the Annual Salary Survey and the Better Salaries Toolkit, both useful in salary negotiations.

Referring to and using these resources will give you a starting point in determining a fair and equitable salary for your position.

As a way of continuing career services to MLA members and other job seekers, the MLA Membership Committee offers the following search leads and sources. They include state, regional and national resources.

Massachusetts Career Services:

1.The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) posts a monthly list of "Library Position Vacancies" at http://mlin.lib.ma.us/noflash.html. These are positions in academic, special, public and school libraries, both full and part-time. Listings include qualifications, salaries, duties and contact information.

2.The Simmons College School of Library Science Career Services maintains the New England Jobline at 617-521-2815. Listings include position titles, duties, salaries and contact information for academic, special, public and school full and part-time post ions. The web address is http://www.simmons.edu/gslis/career/jobline/

New England Career Services:

1.New England Library Association has several links to sources from its web site at http://www.nelib.org